Editorial: Growing old happily

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.

A UNLV survey of Nevadans 50 and older shows that the typical Silver State senior citizen leads a relatively active life filled with family, friends and social endeavors.

According to a Las Vegas Sun story Monday by reporter Christina Littlefield, the UNLV Cannon Survey Center asked 2,626 Nevadans age 50 and older about their overall lifestyle habits and also about health care, transportation, economic concerns, crime and social networks.

The results showed that the typical senior visits family and friends two to three times each week, attends church and visits casinos regularly and also surfs the Internet regularly. More than two-thirds considered their health to be good or excellent. Almost 20 percent said they take care of someone else older than 60 or younger than 18.

The senior survey results already are proving valuable to state agencies as they plan and budget programs to serve the aging population, experts told the Sun.

Although the survey suggests that Nevada seniors live well overall, it also shows that a large portion of residents age 50 to 64 lack health insurance and a large number of those with disabilities or special needs aren't getting the daily assistance that they need.

We are glad to see that the Cannon center is providing useful information about Nevadans and their needs. We hope agencies continue mining this data for direction on the programs and services our ever-growing senior population requires.